Planting Coffee, Growing Independence for Sabah Highland Rural Families

The Rural Challenge

In rural Sabah villages, many B40 families depend on daily wages from small-scale harvests to survive. However, extreme and unpredictable weather has increasingly disrupted their incomes, creating constant financial uncertainty. These challenges make it difficult for families to break free from poverty.

To address this, we’ve launched a rural farming program that combines fast-growing vegetable crops for immediate income with long-term coffee farming for sustainable growth. This balanced approach helps families meet their immediate needs while building a foundation for financial independence and resilience.

The Solution

To break the cycle of poverty, we identified coffee farming as a high-potential solution for Sabah’s highlands. Starting with a small group of farmers in Kota Belud, we discovered that some had already experimented with coffee planting techniques.

Our team with the coffee farmers at their farm.

Learning more about the initiatives of local coffee farmers.

Together, we’ve scaled up these efforts to benefit more rural families in a practical, sustainable way.

This dedicated group of villagers took the initiative to hand-build a shelter to cultivate and distribute coffee seedlings. Some focus on producing high-quality seedlings, while others prepare for planting.

Our role is to bring in experienced coffee planters, manufacturers, and buyers to equip these communities with the skills and knowledge to succeed.

We also organize workshops to empower more families to join this initiative. By building a network of coffee farmers, we aim to reach the production scale needed for bulk sales.

Once their crops reach the expected volume, we’ll connect them with long-term buyers, ensuring consistent income and financial stability for the community.

The Impact

Coffee farming, as a high-yield crop, offers rural families a sustainable way to diversify their income and achieve long-term financial stability. It also encourages a shift in mindset, teaching communities the importance of diversifying crops for resilience against economic and environmental challenges.

How You Can Help

Your support for this campaign directly funds critical needs, including coffee seedlings, bean-peeling machines to improve efficiency, tools and facility upgrades, and educational workshops for families. While the journey to harvest is long, this initiative unites highland communities, providing them with the resources to build a future as independent coffee farmers.

Sustainability and stability are the keys to ensuring long-term resilience for rural livelihoods. Together, we can help these families create a brighter, self-sufficient future.

Support now and be part of this meaningful transformation.